1) Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a mold tool for forming a trim covered foam substrate of a seat assembly.
2) Detailed Description of the Related Art
A vehicle seat is typically formed from a molded urethane foam substrate that is surrounded by a decorative trim cover. The manufacturing method includes securing the cover to an upper cast of a mold tool and spraying liquid urethane foam into a lower cast of a mold tool. The cover includes a skirt that protrudes through a split line between the first cast and the second cast when the two casts are in mating engagement. The split line, and heat generated in the mold tool by heating lines, and by the exothermic urethane crosslinking reaction, disfigure the portion of the trim cover within the split line. The trim cover must be restored by the supplementary step of steaming the cover. However, often the cover can not be restored, particularly for less expensive, lower quality covers.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a mold tool and method that does not cause disfiguring damage to the trim cover and will improve manufacturing cycle time and enable the use of less expensive, lower quality covers.